Unlocking Adventure: Your Ultimate Florida Theme Park Handbook

Florida Theme Park: Leisure, fun, and theme parks are special visitor attractions in Florida, especially in the Orlando area. Nowhere else in the world is there such a collection of entertainment options.

Entrance fees

For the large theme parks of Disneyworld (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Pleasure Island, and various Park Hopper Passes) and the Busch Group (Seaworld, Busch Gardens, and Adventure Pass), as well as Universal Studios and Island’s Adventure (Orlando FlexTicket), you can buy tickets before you travel to Europe. Either from the catalogs of the major tour operators via domestic travel agencies or directly via the Internet,

The advantage of this purchase is certainly the clear calculation of travel costs; additional costs (tax, etc.) are no longer to be expected on-site.

Attention: If you buy tickets as part of a guided group tour, you shouldn’t be surprised that they are more expensive than the actual admission prices. Finally, the price also includes the guide’s entry into the park and his remuneration.

Travel time for Florida Theme Park

In the greater Orlando area, you can buy tickets on almost every street corner, at least near larger shopping centers. The term “ Tourist Information ” is not protected by law in the USA and can therefore also be used by private individuals. This (self-) designation is therefore not a seal of trust.

There are also ticket offices with ticket offers in the larger hotels. If tickets are offered here at special prices, this can be a serious offer. But be careful: most discount tickets are not, but rather advertising/lure offers from the country and similar clubs that want to sell apartments or usage rights on a time-share basis. The discount tickets are linked to prior participation in a sales event in the club (usually with breakfast).

Navigating Ticket Purchase Options

Although you only sacrifice 2 hours of your free time, you fall into the hands of experienced salespeople. Their offers are not dubious, but they have many pitfalls so that consumer associations generally warn against time-sharing (additional costs, usually no free choice of occupancy, vacation at the same place every year, etc.). These discount tickets are therefore only advisable if you are planning to purchase a timeshare anyway, or if you can successfully resist stubborn salespeople.

Otherwise, tickets for the hotel guest services are usually only $1 – $2 cheaper than if you buy them at the counter at the park entrance. In addition to saving a small amount of money, you also have the advantage of avoiding the usual queues at the park’s cash desks. However: you don’t get any tickets from Guest Services, just vouchers that have to be redeemed for tickets at specially marked cash desks at the park entrances (queues are usually shorter than with full payment). When comparing prices on-site, please note that the net price of the ticket is always stated. This is increased by the local sales tax (Sales Tax = 6%).

If you come by car, you also have to pay parking fees on-site at most parks (flat rate for one day). As a rule, a flat fee is charged regardless of the length of time you park.

Understanding Ticket Benefits and Park Logistics

The tickets are generally valid for one day (from opening to closing). If you leave the park during the day/evening and want to go back in, you have to announce this at the turnstiles at the park exit and usually receive a stamp on your hand that entitles you to re-enter (sometimes only visible in special light).

In some cases, a ticket can also be valid for 2 days – at no extra charge (e.g. at Seaworid). Multi-day tickets, which are also available as a combination for several parks and include price reductions compared to purchasing one-day tickets, offer more flexibility. These tickets often also entitle you to earlier entry to the park (admission up to 1 hour before the general public; an important advantage for “advancing” popular attractions).

Avoid queues at Florida Theme Park

Access to the rides and demonstrations within the parks is usually well organized (no comparison with EXPO Hannover!). Nevertheless, waiting times of up to an hour at the main attractions are not uncommon (also longer in high season) and, despite entertainment, are annoying while queuing. In general, you should not visit the main attractions in the morning, but rather at lunchtime, during the parades and special events with large crowds and especially in the evening (from around 6 p.m.) (unless you are one of the first visitors to enter very early).

At Disneyworld theme parks, the main attractions have FASTPASS facilities. There are fixed times for access to the attraction, you don’t have to wait in line, you just show up at the specified time and use a specially marked entrance. For which attractions this option is available can be found in the event information for the respective park. First, you have to go to the desired attraction and insert the ticket into the FASTPASS ticket machine. The result is the FASTPASS, which states the time at which you have to be back to get into the attraction.

Attention: Each visitor must purchase their own FASTPASS in this way.

Parades

Particularly in the larger parks, so-called parades take place, ie parades with costumed actors, floats, animals, music, etc. on fixed routes in the park. There is usually a parade in the afternoon and possibly another in the evening. The exact times on each day can be found in the event calendar that you receive when you enter the park (this is often also in German, ask if necessary), or can be found on the homepages on the Internet.

These parades are very popular with visitors, especially those with children. The crowds along the parade route are correspondingly high. If you want to get a good viewing position, you must arrive early before the parade begins and wait. Reservations are only possible if the route passes restaurants or similar establishments with independent reservation options. The parades in the evening, which only begin after dusk, are particularly recommended. These are sometimes quite impressive orgies of light. Some parades only take place on certain days (weekends, holidays ), this is particularly true at the theme parks in the Disneyworld area.

When planning a visit, you should always plan to see the evening parade and plan your daily routine accordingly. If possible, choose the day to visit on which special parades also take place, as the reason why these do not take place every day is usually because they are particularly expensive and time-consuming. By the way: If you can do without parades, you should visit the main attractions of the respective park during this time, because the crowds there are correspondingly lower.

Recommended days to visit Florida Theme Park

Of course, it is difficult to give truly viable recommendations on this topic. If you can, you should avoid the high season, because then the theme parks are actually “full”. Otherwise, the theme parks are busier during the week (especially from Monday to Wednesday) than on the weekends. Animal Kingdom, for example, is said to have the lowest number of visitors on Saturday and the highest on Monday. Pleasure Island, on the other hand, is “in” on Thursday evening (Disney employees should have a free entry here on this day).

Individual theme parks also hold special events for a limited group of visitors at certain times or on certain days (e.g. Universal Studios). Parts of the park will then be closed to these events and will not be accessible or will only be accessible at set times. You should take this into account when planning and, if necessary, choose an alternative date. You can find out more on the homepage of the respective theme park.

During the holidays in the USA, the parks are also very busy, but on the other hand, they are also open longer in the evenings and offer more evening shows. During the Christmas holidays, the parking spaces at parks in Wals Disney World are sometimes full to capacity. If this occurs, Disney will not allow any more visitors into the park. It is therefore advisable to arrive early at this time.

Planning the daily routine

If you want to experience the attractions that are really worth seeing, you have to plan your daily routine. Movies, live events, and the like are frequently screened only once a day or only during specific hours. The current event calendar, which you will receive with your admission ticket or at the turnstiles at the Guest Service Desk entrance, has the corresponding times. To prepare, it’s also worth taking a look at the parks’ homepages on the Internet. It is important to set up the tour so that you can reach the attraction promptly. If you value good visibility and seating, you should take appropriate time into account (arriving early ensures the best seats).

Aluminum benches

Many seating options in event arenas are made of aluminum and – when placed in the shade – are cool. If you don’t like cool seating, you should have something warm or insulating to sit on.

Clothing

A day is long and the sun usually shines. That’s why it’s advised to wear loose apparel (cotton, shorts) and supportive athletic footwear. Sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and, if necessary, a light sweater for cooler evenings should not be missing. Parts of the “equipment” can be left in lockers (loose; usually near the entrance) and picked up when necessary. In strong sunlight, the following also applies: drink a lot.

Rain

Of course, it also rains in this sunny area. However, usually not for too long. If it starts to rain, be patient, go to a restaurant, or do something else in sheltered areas. With a little luck, the sun will shine again after an hour at the latest. However, it can also be overcast for a long time. If a hurricane is forecast, the rain will of course continue. Then you should avoid visiting the park anyway. From May to September it is hot and humid and thunderstorms are more common in the afternoon. During this time you should avoid rides outside because the danger of lightning should not be underestimated.

Attention Theme Park fans: Universal Orlando’s New Ticket Rates

Technical terms for Theme park

Ride: Term for ride attractions of all kinds, i.e. roller coasters, white water rides, but also demonstration attractions with a thrill
Roller Coaster: Roller coaster rides with loops
Watch your Step: Frequently heard safety warning (be careful, step!)